This is Alley House 2, a modular prefab home aiming for LEED Platinum certification, located in the Madison Valley neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. We looked at the home during site assembly and note that it’s complete and listed for sale at the offering of $599,000. The home has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a one-car garage (that could be used as a workshop or converted to an ADU), and 1,687 square feet.

Reader Randall Otulakowski walks around town in Toronto scavenging for gems thrown away by others in the community. He then takes that stuff to his 747 square-foot home and forms it into furniture and art — like the lath pieces here. Randall told me in an email he’s been getting good feedback on his reclaimed art made with hollow core doors and a lath patchwork. I think the feedback is right on; these are rich and full of statement.

Several months ago, I shared news of unique, green birth chart art by StarArc. That company now has some new prints based on each customer’s primary astrological sun sign symbol as well as their moon and rising sign symbols. Although I can’t shed much light on astrology, I can say the prints are made using a museum quality giclée printing process that utilizes environmentally friendly canvas, inks, and stretcher bars. They come with a modern look, 35 color schemes, eight sizes, and pricing from $49.

Toba is an award-winning pellet stove designed in Italy by MCZ Group SpA in collaboration with EMO. The simple, modern appliance can warm a space of about 1,800 square feet at more than 90% efficiency, according to Wittus, which announced plans in June 2011 to import Toba into the US.

If you’re thinking about a bathroom overhaul, I think this is an article you will enjoy reading. Architect Jeff Stern of In Situ Architecture was approached by a homeowner in Portland to transform an old bathroom with a modest budget. Expanding the size of the room meant a larger budget, while using the same footprint meant saving money through the use of existing plumbing and fixture locations.

Housefish, a modular furniture company based in Denver, Colorado, conceived a new shelf design with inspiration from a beehive. Called Hex Modular Shelving, each shelf is made with custom aluminum extrusions that are light, strong, and hexagonal. The extrusions are then paired with FSC-certified, zero-VOC finish, maple plywood boards to create a strong and contemporary piece of furniture.